During the period that followed the Battle of Yavin, Phillip was the only surviving child of LadyValles Santhe who was the head of the family. His sibling perished during outbreaks of anti-Imperial violence on Lianna. As the only surviving son of Lady Santhe, Phillip was the heir to the considerable Santhe fortune.

He was a supporter of the Galactic Empire, believing a man such as Palpatine was required to restore order. Phillip was resentful of his mother for pushing him around and for not relinquishing control of the family company. He was an engineer and was heavily involved in the NOVA project, an imperial contract to improve a key component of a cloaking device. He hoped that successful completion of this project would hasten his mothers retirement.

Phillip was a cold and calculating person who was able to manipulate most people except for Lady Santhe. He was not particularly intelligent and had a tendency to complain and whine. He was intimidated by the Imperial, Lord Rodin Hlian Verpalion who was assigned to oversee the NOVA Project.